Abstract

Spontaneous transverse pattern formation in nonlinear feedback systems is a subject of rapidly growing interest, not only because of its importance for fundamental research of complex spatio-temporal phenomena but also for possible applications in optical information technology. Especially, the Scheme of a Kerr-medium with a single feedback mirror proposed by Firth et al [l) has been proved to be a very fertile concept for studies of optical pattern formation because it uncovers the fundamental role of the coupling between diffraction and the nonlinearity of the medium.

© 1996 Optical Society of America